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ALOM President and CEO Hannah Kain has been playing one of the most complex games imaginable: trying to retool global supply chains during a pandemic. And meanwhile, she’s overseeing the supply chain management company’s “aggressive” production of COVID-19 testing kits, while also manufacturing protective equipment for its customers and employees. We talked to Kain recently about what these complicated operations look like from the inside—and how manufacturers can adapt to supply chain uncertainty.

The supply side: A single finished good—say a car—could easily require thousands of parts from multiple countries, notes Kain (who is also an 51�Թ��� board member). Now imagine that every single one of those parts could be held up on its journey. And that’s only the beginning.

• Here’s a risk factor that no one is thinking about, Kain says: “If we are manufacturing overseas, who is governing those places?” Companies need to fly engineers out to their foreign facilities to check certifications, labor conditions, etc. And now they often can’t.
• Meanwhile, freight rates have significantly increased, with rates from China “multiplying by a factor of 5.”
• Plus, many companies operate in multiple locations, each with different COVID-19 rules and restrictions. ALOM, for instance, works out of 19 locations around the world, Kain adds.

Put it all together, and it’s a recipe for anxiety. Kain says, “I remember someone from an automaker saying once—it takes 2,500 parts to make a car; 1 part not to make a car.”

The demand side: COVID-19 has reconfigured the market, Kain notes. Demand for medical supplies and home electronics went “through the roof,” while demand for other products cratered. This situation created what she calls the “pulsing supply chain”—i.e., “the disjunction between demand fluctuations and ability to meet them.”

So what’s her advice? For other manufacturers and supply chain experts: “Anyone who can react faster is going to win the game.” Agility is a necessity, in other words. Here are some of the tactics that ALOM and its customers have tried:

• Keep products unconfigured (or un-customized) until as late as possible in the production process—so the same part can be used for different purposes. The finishing touches can be added the day of shipment. “Customers think the products are sitting on shelves, but in fact they shouldn’t be,” says Kain.
• Make sure you know as much as possible about demand. “Visibility is key,” she stresses. Companies should research what’s going on at the retail level and use business intelligence tools, such as AI that tracks keywords on social media. And don’t forget to track the analytics on your own website—“that can actually predict a lot,” says Kain.
• Be smart about contracts. “If you have a critical supplier, try to ensure you’ll be first in line if there’s a restriction.”
• Be good to your suppliers. “Don’t tell them things like ‘we’ll now pay you every 120 days instead of every 60.’ And pay people early if you can.”

The last word: “I saw myself pulling back from strategic work and going into crisis management,” Kain says. Only now is she beginning to get back to her usual routine.

At the end of this interview, Kain mentioned she was off for a restorative weekend in Yosemite. We think you’ll agree she deserved it.

Who says longer lines for the women’s restroom are a good thing? Manufacturing CEO Gina Radke does. And here’s why—longer lines for the bathroom at manufacturing conferences would mean that more women worked in the industry, where they now only make up a third of the labor force.

Radke used to take photos of the bathroom doors at these conferences and post them to social media, highlighting the absence of other women in line. And if she has anything to say about it, those lines will be growing a lot longer.

The CEO of Galley Support Innovations, Radke likes to say that she got into manufacturing by mistake, and then learned it from the ground up.

• When she and her husband bought the company—which specializes in interior hardware for aircraft—she thought she’d focus on the marketing side. But as she puts it, she fell in love with the process of turning raw materials into a finished product.
• They moved the company from California to Arkansas, and soon, she had learned to run all the machines on the floor and immersed herself in every aspect of the business.

Along the way, she couldn’t help but notice that few other women had the same trajectory. Radke was often mistaken for an assistant and rarely encountered other women in leadership positions. She was determined to change that.

• “If you can see it, you can be it”: Radke has worked to make herself more visible in the manufacturing world, as a role model for other women. The company even designed a calendar in which their female machinists posed as Rosie the Riveter.
• STEP honoree: In 2019, she was a recipient of the Manufacturing Institute’s —a national honor for accomplished women in the industry. Radke says the conference for honorees was the first time she had been around other women leaders in the industry. It made her feel a sense of relief and encouragement, and she resolved to step up her mentorship so more women would feel the same.
• “I could write a book”: Inspired by her experience at the STEP conference, Radke wrote a book called “.” In it, she offers guidance to both women and men, so they can achieve a more equitable workforce together.

And there’s more: Under Radke’s leadership, the company has been a pioneer in hiring formerly incarcerated individuals and people who have been involved in the criminal justice system. It also created programs to train kids who age out of foster care, helping them transition into well-paying jobs.

The last word: “To women who haven’t considered manufacturing: consider it,” says Radke. “It’s a great field to be in. We need everything, so you get to be creative and process driven. And you have an opportunity to break stereotypes and shatter the status quo.”

During a disaster, up to 60% of product donations are thrown away because they’re the wrong products at the wrong time.

That’s according to philanthropic organization Good360, which solves the problem by soliciting specific products and matching them with its network of 90,000 nonprofits. Now, it’s helping manufacturers provide much-needed supplies to the COVID-19 relief effort and prepare for a hurricane season during a public health crisis.

How it works: As a partner to the 51�Թ���, Good360 makes it as easy as possible for manufacturers to donate products.

• Once a manufacturer makes contact, Good360 will find out what and how much it wishes to donate and where the supplies are located.
• Then Good360 finds the right nonprofit to receive the donation—and picks it up and moves it where it needs to go.

How long it takes: Pickups happen within the week, with timelines typically closer to 48 hours.

What they need: Good360 is looking for everything from PPE for frontline workers to essential consumer products for families to toys and games for kids stuck at home. Critical needs include the following:

• N95 masks
• Face shields
• Tyvek coveralls/shoe covers
• Nitrile gloves
• Hand sanitizer
• Thermometers
• Soap
• Diapers
• Disinfectant wipes
• Baby formula
• Personal hygiene products (dental, cosmetics, soap/conditioner, lotions)
• Home cleaning supplies
• Paper products (plates, paper towels, toilet tissue)
• Boredom breakers (board games, cards, coloring books)
• Education materials
• Laptops and computers

Beyond COVID: As the U.S. enters hurricane season, Good360 is also preparing to respond to additional needs for products like shingles, building supplies and other vital materials.

How to help: Manufacturers that have products or financial support to donate should visit Good360’s .

The Supreme Court ruled today that civil rights law protects employees from discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity, the Wall Street Journal (subscription).

The ruling: “The high court, in a 6-3 decision, said the broad language of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlaws workplace discrimination on the basis of sex, should be read to cover sexual orientation as well.”

• “Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the opinion, which was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts in addition to the four more liberal members of the court.”

Here’s the legal reasoning behind it:

• “[The] case was simple, Justice Gorsuch found. He focused on the text of the statute Congress passed in 1964, forbidding workplace discrimination against an individual ‘because of…sex.’”
• “There was no getting around it, he said: ‘An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it wouldn’t have questioned in members of a different sex. Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids.’”

51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons welcomed the news and said in a statement:

• “This ruling, one of the most consequential since Obergefell, not only sends a powerful message of inclusion and equality to millions of Americans but also affirms that LGBT Americans cannot be fired just for being their authentic selves as work.
• “Too many LGBT Americans go to work every day hiding who they are or whom they love because they believe that simply living authentically would mean losing their jobs and livelihoods. The Supreme Court has begun to lift that heavy emotional burden and made history by affirming that LGBT workers are entitled to federal protections too.
• “For our part, manufacturers are committed to building diverse and inclusive workplaces, a mission that has taken on renewed importance in recent weeks. We will continue to be advocates for equal opportunity and champions for justice—because ultimately we know that diversity and inclusion makes our workplaces stronger, just as it makes our country stronger.”

In a recent 51�Թ��� webinar, three experts broke down the economic effects of COVID-19 and how companies can respond. Here’s a selection:

You can sign up to watch the full webinar here.

Right now, 86-year-old employee Nina Anderson is happily making masks and other protective gear at Anderson Fabrics. Nina (a distant relation of the company’s founders) has resisted her employer’s urging to stay home, and now works amid precautions that keep her and fellow employees safe—including social distancing, frequent cleanings, and PPE. She thinks of this as her mission.

The company says the same thing of its efforts. The Minnesota manufacturer, which normally makes window treatments, bedding and other interior design elements, was in an unusual position to help when COVID-19 hit. Few companies in the U.S. have hundreds of commercial sewing machines—and hundreds of employees who know how to run them—to make PPE this quickly.

What they’re making: 250+ employees are producing masks and ties of different varieties—including an original, fully adjustable mask, a mask with ties and custom accessory bands for elastic masks. All of these help relieve ear pain caused by extended mask use.

Plus, the company is also producing isolation gowns, booties, and hoods.

Who benefits: Anderson Fabrics has received phone calls from local healthcare operations, sheriffs’ departments, dentists, long-term care facilities and many other Minnesota manufacturers in need of specific PPE. It’s made a point of collaborating with any organization that needs assistance.

The numbers: The company has already sold or donated nearly 80,000 masks and currently has the capacity to produce between 2,000 and 3,000 per day.

And that’s not all . . . The company is also designing new products like reusable PAPR hoods.

PAPR hoods use positive air pressure and a face shield to keep outside air particles away from the wearer’s face. Generally, they’re disposable—but supplies are running short.

• The solution: Anderson Fabrics has been working with a large healthcare organization to create a PAPR hood that can be disassembled, laundered and reused to prevent shortages.
• The next step: The design will be submitted to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the FDA for approval and certification. The company hopes to make it available on a large scale soon.

In her own words: Recently, Nina wrote a poem about Anderson Fabrics, her fellow employees and the experience of so many COVID-19 responders. You can listen to Nina recite the poem .

Manufacturing leaders across the country are responding to the nationwide protests spurred by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“We absolutely stand hand in hand with all those who seek respect, fairness and the right to equality of opportunity that America has promised for centuries and that, even now, has not been delivered to all her citizens,” 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons said in a statement.

Together, we stand against injustice and strive for unity and equality.

Read a message from our CEO at .

— Trane Technologies (@Trane_Tech)

Our CEO Ken Frazier calls for unity on :

— Merck (@Merck)

Building a better future means joining together as we move forward. We are donating to as a part of the effort to end systemic racism and bring true equality to all. This is just a first step.

— Coca-Cola (@CocaCola)

Manufacturers across industries and regions are joining in the call for justice—and demanding respect and equality for all people.

Over the last few months, which were arguably some of the toughest in our company’s 120+ year history, I’ve seen ‘find a way’ to join together and help overcome great challenges.

Our response to issues of racism, inequities and injustice should be no different.

— Jim Fitterling (@JimFitterling)

In our country, our community, and our company, we have work to do – together. One conversation at a time. One action at a time.

Here’s what CEO David Taylor shared with the P&G Family:

— Procter & Gamble (@ProcterGamble)

In an email shared with all bp employees, our CEO Bernard Looney addressed racial injustice & reinforced bp’s commitment to being a diverse, inclusive & respectful workplace

— bp (@bp_plc)

Companies are also making financial commitments to support inclusivity efforts, as well as supporting businesses that were damaged or looted during the unrest.

Standing on the sidelines is not an option. Today we are pledging $1 million in support of efforts to address social injustice and anti-racism.

— Intel (@intel)

At J&J, we believe racism in any form is unacceptable. Black Lives Matter.

Johnson & Johnson is committing $10 million to fight racism & injustice in America—a pledge that will span the next three years. Learn more from Alex Gorsky, Chairman & CEO, :

— Johnson & Johnson (@JNJNews)

UnitedHealth Group said it would donate $10 million to help businesses in the Twin Cities rebuild and create an educational trust fund for Floyd’s children.

Our hearts are heavy with the tragic death of George Floyd. We’re doing our part to help create a more equitable society by establishing an educational trust for his children, donating $10M to help Twin Cities businesses rebuild and advance equity & inclusivity efforts.

— UnitedHealth Group (@UnitedHealthGrp)

“This is not a time to sit back and wait for action from others,” Timmons said. “The manufacturing community, and the larger business community—made up of people from every background, every race, every state and every neighborhood in the country—has a responsibility that is as urgent now as at any time when our nation seemed on the edge of destruction. We must be part of the solution—to end the polarization and division that routinely manifests in our country.”

How can manufacturers help their workers get tested for COVID-19 and keep their communities safe? Many manufacturers are wondering about this, but information about testing is often unavailable, confusing or soon out of date. So we asked 51�Թ��� Vice President of Infrastructure, Innovation and Human Resources Policy Robyn Boerstling to tell us what’s really going on.

What kinds of tests are available?  “The situation changes weekly, if not daily,” warns Boerstling.

• New tests are in development and “coming online with greater frequency,” while the FDA is working to expand their availability quickly. A useful resource: the The FDA has authorized approximately 113 tests to date.
• Meanwhile, HHS continues to focus on public-private partnerships that send tests to drive-up facilities in parking lots and similar places, she adds. A list of available community testing sites can be found .

Currently, it’s still very hard for employers to get tests for onsite facilities, and the FDA has warned that tests bought from overseas suppliers may be unreliable. As Boerstling notes, the city of Laredo, Texas discovered that the tests it bought from China for half a million dollars were only 20 percent accurate.

Is anyone verifying the accuracy of these tests? Yes, but the process is ongoing and the FDA is adapting to a rapidly changing environment, says Boerstling.

• This week, the FDA announced for developers to improve testing accuracy.
• “The NIH is working with the FDA to validate existing tests, as well as with private researchers, including a group funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative,” she notes.
• “Manufacturers should visit the FDA website frequently or check in with the 51�Թ���, which is monitoring this issue closely.”

Will the tests be processed in a timely manner? “The time it takes to process a test is changing regularly and depends on the capacity of the lab being used and the type of test,” says Boerstling.

• “Many 51�Թ��� members have noted uneven lab capacity across the country.”
• As of now, more than 245 labs are currently providing testing under the policies set forth by HHS.

What is the federal government doing about this? Congress has provided aid to boost testing capacity, but its impact will be gradual, Boerstling cautions.

• “The recently enacted $484 billion COVID-19 relief package included $25 billion for broad testing initiatives. Currently, the 51�Թ��� is working to see how employers fit into this equation,” she elaborates.
• Earlier this month, the administration that it sent $11 billion to states for testing support this month, along with about 12 million swabs.

Related: Of course, testing isn’t the only important tool for keeping employees safe. 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons has been stressing the importance of face coverings and other types of PPE as a COVID-19 mitigation strategy. Watch a recent video

How do you prevent COVID-19 from traveling through hospitals? Powerful air filtration is essential to stopping the spread, but many hospitals only have these systems in certain areas—like isolation rooms. In cities with the worst outbreaks, there are far more patients than rooms with safe air.

Carrier Global Corporation—a Florida manufacturer of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, as well as refrigeration and fire and security technologies—used their expertise to help convert normal rooms to air isolation rooms by developing the OptiClean negative air machine.

The specs: Powerful air filtration systems are usually hard-wired, making them impossible to transport. Carrier’s OptiClean device, on the other hand, is unique, featuring:

• A wheeled base, allowing it to be moved to different hospital rooms as needed;
• A cord that plugs into a standard 115-volt outlet, so it can be used in pretty much any room;
• A 100% seal, which keeps unclean air from bypassing the filters—making it as powerful as traditional air filtration systems that are hardwired into isolation rooms; and
• A two-way system that allows it to serve as either 1) a negative pressure machine, drawing in clean air from outside a hospital room while pumping contaminated air into a contained exhaust system, or 2) a “scrubber” in an open-air temporary hospital, by pulling air in, removing contaminants, and sending cleaner air back out.

The timeline: In just two weeks this March, the Carrier team developed a prototype and shipped four models to hospitals across the country for field trials—a process that would ordinarily take up to a year.

The result: Carrier has been producing OptiClean devices since April and has already fulfilled orders for hundreds of units.

What’s next: Carrier is hoping OptiClean devices will be used in homes, businesses, assisted living facilities and elsewhere in future to provide cleaner air and protect vulnerable populations.

Across the country, manufacturers like Carrier are helping people breathe easier.

It started on a Saturday morning when a Wisconsin doctor knocked on his neighbors’ doors, asking for mask donations. Four weeks later, dozens of local organizations had collaborated to design a comfortable, reusable, high-performance mask. Now, the “MaskForce” is rolling out its products across the state and in neighboring regions.

Here’s how it happened: One of the doctor’s neighbors happened to be Pat Masterson, vice president of corporate manufacturing at automotive and mobile equipment manufacturer Husco. Masterson soon brought his company’s resources to solving the problem, but they knew they needed more.

• Through word of mouth, the project’s team developed into a 25-member consortium that included local education groups, industrial manufacturers and frontline medical and emergency response personnel.
• After the group hammered out some concepts, Husco led the design of a high-volume, injection-molded prototype using medical-grade materials.

How it works: The MaskForce team tested hundreds of suitable materials before settling on the best design. Features include:

• Comfort: The mask sports a soft, high-performance and low-pressure face seal that enables easy breathing.
• Re-usability: It uses sanitizable and replaceable components.
• Efficiency: It’s made with 60% less filter material than other mask designs—a big difference, as filter media are in high demand.

The numbers: Today, the MaskForce is producing around 1,000 masks per day, with the goal of ramping up daily production to 10,000 or even 100,000+ masks per day. Currently, it has completed 10,000 of its initial 30,000 production run.

Next steps: Husco is now producing the face mask under the FDA Emergency Use Authorization. It is also seeking certification from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, so the mask can be used by multiple industries.

What’s in a name? In case you were wondering, the MaskForce gets its memorable name from a youthful collaborator: Masterson’s 14-year-old daughter.

Husco and the MaskForce team have accomplished in weeks what would typically take months or years to do. It just goes to show—you might be surprised at what can happen when you knock on a neighbor’s door.